Bernard Saundry

[Hesi]

Listened to him on Trackside radio, as you do, when there is no racing on.

He's a real silver tongue, says it all very diplomatically, but really says nothing.  Keeps off the real tricky stuff, like the land grab. Peter Earley is a marshmallow though, never asks the tough questions, back tracks real quick, the whole show is just like one of those paid ads to promote a product.

Get somebody on who will ask the tough questions

[mardigras]

One industry employee to another. To be expected.

[Hesi]

Just an advertorial then, waste of time.

They need to get rid of some of these old dinosaurs anyway

Emily Bosson very good, presents well to the younger generation, thank God they put KFE out to pasture

[curious]

Perhaps a site like this could take the media initiative and invite Saundry to answer those hard questions with supporting hard data. How hard would that be?

[curious]

4 minutes ago, curious said:

Perhaps a site like this could take the media initiative and invite Saundry to answer those hard questions with supporting hard data. How hard would that be?

It could be in written, audio or video format.

 

[Hesi]

2 minutes ago, curious said:

Perhaps a site like this could take the media initiative and invite Saundry to answer those hard questions with supporting hard data. How hard would that be?

Nice idea, but we are just the small fish for now, suggest it on RC.  Sorry but you couldn't suggest it on BOAY, talking about fixing the woes in NZ racing when they can't even fix their own site

I'd still love for someone to front up with a few figures that shows exactly how and where Stratford racing at NP saves money.  I guess they looked at Stratford, Waverly and NP, and Stratford is the only one that is freehold, the other 2 are leased, so the decision was influenced by that.

Here's a question, if Waverly and NP are leased, then how advisable is it upgrading infrastructure at those courses

[curious]

6 hours ago, Hesi said:

Nice idea, but we are just the small fish for now, suggest it on RC.  Sorry but you couldn't suggest it on BOAY, talking about fixing the woes in NZ racing when they can't even fix their own site

I'd still love for someone to front up with a few figures that shows exactly how and where Stratford racing at NP saves money.  I guess they looked at Stratford, Waverly and NP, and Stratford is the only one that is freehold, the other 2 are leased, so the decision was influenced by that.

Here's a question, if Waverly and NP are leased, then how advisable is it upgrading infrastructure at those courses

Probably depends  on the length of the lease? Some are in perpetuity I think. Or the lessee could own the buildings and other infrastructure.

[Hesi]

Very good Curious, correct use of the English language, many would have used 'leasee'

So spending 10 mil on say a Strathayr track, would fall into other infrastructure?

[mardigras]

1 hour ago, Hesi said:

Very good Curious, correct use of the English language, many would have used 'leasee'

So spending 10 mil on say a Strathayr track, would fall into other infrastructure?

I don't know whether spending x million on a Strathayr surface is warranted. I'd be looking to do things right from what we have to try and develop racing and interest here. One new track where you have no money already seems a bit odd to me. That's the sort of strategy where I'd be building something sustainable and then looking to improve what you have by adding additional options (such as a new track). A new track is hardly going to suddenly be a magic elixir.

As odd as this sounds to probably every one, I'd be identifying strategies that bring NZ racing to the forefront of NZ customer interest. Potentially requiring getting out of commingling. Changing takeout rates on NZ racing or something similar. Something to create a point of difference in two areas. a) What the TAB offers and b) Where the focus of that offer is (i.e NZ racing).

If that managed to bring some interest back into NZ racing, then over time, I'd look to get out of various agreements with TABCORP around races taken etc. Build a platform with a focus on NZ racing, with high interest racing only from elsewhere. 

Of course, that will never happen and it should have been that way before the stupidity of getting so heavily into bed with TABCORP. The management here were so stupid to not realise that the only organisation that would benefit from those agreements was TABCORP.

Even better than doing that would have been to sell the TAB, with agreements around performance/benefits to NZ racing, and opening up the market to allow greater competition and optins for the customer (locally).

[Hesi]

I wasn't suggesting a Strathayr at a rural course.

Sell the TAB, good idea, to someone who can run it competitively, without the huge overheads.

The TAB has net betting revenue of 373 mil(I think that is correct without looking it up), but by the time the costs are taken out, only about 80 mil is returned to NZ racing.  That is the bottom line.  Surely someone else can do better than that.  Keep it simple

[Hesi]

As you and Curious and a few others have said many times, the focus should be on a sustainable model

[mardigras]

5 minutes ago, Hesi said:

I wasn't suggesting a Strathayr at a rural course.

True, but anywhere in the current climate may be an expense beyond means (as well as a lack of cost/benefit analysis).

[Hesi]

As we have alluded to before, the focus is all wrong.  New facilities/tracks are nice to have, but you could put it all in place, and it would not really help, unless the sustainability model is in place.

So by focussing on generating all this cash to upgrade 28 tracks, they are alienating and dividing an industry.

Better to get the industry functioning properly first, then go to people and say, we have delivered a good model, now we need you to pull together so that we can generate the money to upgrade as per the Messara report.

Ultimately, for the industry to grow and compete(not just survive), it must have modern facilities and tracks up to a commonly accepted norm

[curious]

Yep. The whole process is disordered.